John D. Byrd, Mississippi State University, Bugwood.org

Family: Fabaceae (Pea Family)

Synonym(s): Kraunhia floribunda, Rehsonia floribunda

Duration: Perennial

Habit: Vine

Listed by:
Invasive Plant Atlas of the US: 1
Federal Noxious Weed: 0
TDA Noxious Weed: 0
TPWD Prohibited Exotic Species: 0

Description: Deciduous high climbing, twining, or trailing leguminous woody vines (or cultured as shrubs) to 70 feet (20 m) long.

History: Introduced from Asia in the early 1800s. Traditional southern porch vines.

Biology & Spread: Exotic wisterias are long-lived, some vines surviving 50 years or more. Vegetative reproduction is their primary means of expansion. Numerous stolons, or above-ground stems, develop roots and shoots at short intervals. Abundant seeds may also be produced if conditions are favorable, but flower buds are susceptible to winter kill. In riparian habitats, seeds may be carried downstream in water for great distances.

Ecological Threat: Exotic wisterias impair and overtake native shrubs and trees through strangling or shading. Climbing wisteria vines can kill sizable trees, opening the forest canopy and increasing sunlight to the forest floor, which in turn favors its aggressive growth. Chinese and Japanese wisterias are hardy and aggressive, capable of forming thickets so dense that little else grows.

US Habitat: Form dense infestations where previously planted. Occur on wet to dry sites. Colonize by vines twining and covering shrubs and trees and by runners rooting at nodes when vines covered by leaf litter. Seeds water-dispersed along riparian areas. Large seed size a deterrent to animal dispersal.

Distribution

US Nativity: Introduced to U.S.

Native Origin: Japan (Alfred Rehder, Manual of Cultivated Trees and Shrubs: Hardy in North America, The MacMillan Co., New York (1967)); temp. Asia, Japan (Germplasm Resources Information Network); NatureServe Explorer

US States: AL, AR, FL, GA, IL, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MS, NC, NH, NJ, OH, PA, SC, TN, VA

Resembles/Alternatives: There are a variety of creeping or climbing vines native to the eastern U.S. that are good alternatives to the invasive exotic wisterias. Some examples include American wisteria (Wisteria frutescens), trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans), trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), Dutchman?s pipe (Aristolochia macrophylla), and crossvine (Bignonia capreolata). Contact your local native plant society for information on sources of these and other native plants.

Management: The only practical methods currently available for control of exotic wisterias are mechanical and chemical. Cut climbing or trailing vines as close to the root collar as possible. This technique, while labor intensive, is feasible for small populations, as a pretreatment for large impenetrable infestations, or for areas where herbicide use is not desirable. Wisteria will continue to resprout after cutting until its root stores are exhausted. For this reason, cutting should begin early in the growing season and, if possible, sprouts cut every few weeks until autumn. Cutting will stop the growth of existing vines and and prevent seed production. However, cut vines left coiled around trunks may eventually girdle trees and shrubs as they continue to grow and increase in girth. For this reason, the vines should be removed entirely or at least cut periodically along their length.

USE PESTICIDES WISELY: ALWAYS READ THE ENTIRE PESTICIDE LABEL CAREFULLY, FOLLOW ALL MIXING AND APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS AND WEAR ALL RECOMMENDED PERSONAL PROTECTIVE GEAR AND CLOTHING. CONTACT YOUR STATE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR ANY ADDITIONAL PESTICIDE USE REQUIREMENTS, RESTRICTIONS OR RECOMMENDATIONS. MENTION OF PESTICIDE PRODUCTS ON THIS WEB SITE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE ENDORSEMENT OF ANY MATERIAL.

Listing Source

Texas Department ofAgriculture Noxious Plant List
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Prohibited Exotic Species
Invaders Program
Federal Noxious Weed
Union of Concerned Scientists
United States Forest Service Southern Research Station

Text References

Dirr, Michael A. 1990. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses. Stipes Publishing Co., Champaign, IL. Pp. 926-929.

APWG WeedUS Database.

Miller, J.H. 2003. Nonnative invasive plants of southern forests: a field guide for identification and control. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-62. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 93 pp (USDA SRS).

Gleason, H.A., A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. 2nd ed. The New York Botanical Garden, 910.

Isely, D. 1990. Vascular flora of the southeastern United States. Volume 3, Part 2 Leguminosae. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press, 96.

Radford, A.E., H.E. Ahles, C.R. Bell. 1968. Manual of vascular flora of the Carolinas. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press, p. 1183.

Rehder, A. 1993. Manual of cultivated trees and shrubs. Vol. 1. Dioscorides Press, Portland OR. p.507.

Thomas, L.K. Jr. 1993. Chemical grubbing for control of exotic wisteria. Castanea, 58(3):209-213.

Data Source

Last Updated: 2007-11-08 by EEE